Gingrich Calls Obama ‘the Best Food Stamp President in American History’

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich laughs as he is asked a question during a campaign stop Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012, in Meredith, N.H. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

(CNSNews.com) – GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on Friday called President Barack Obama “the best food stamp president in American history,” adding that if Gingrich wins the Republican nomination, he would like to be considered “the Paycheck Candidate” running against “the Food Stamp Candidate.”

Gingrich took questions from C-SPAN viewers at Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, N.H., on Friday. A viewer, identified as Gill, asked Gingrich what he wanted to be remembered for as a candidate.

“How many of you all are assuming that you’re going to get elected but I don’t think your field is strong enough. I mean I’ll vote for you. You’re the speaking man’s conservative, but I don’t think you all have a chance against this juggernaut called Obama and the millions of people who are hurting here. They’re all going to vote for him for the handouts …” the caller added.

Gingrich said he would be considered “the paycheck candidate against Obama as the food stamp candidate.”

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“That’s a fascinating question. Let me say, first of all, if I might slightly disagree with your conclusion, I believe that when people confront the reality that Obama has been the best food stamp president in America history and that in my work with Ronald Reagan, we created 1,300,000 jobs in August of 1983 alone,” Gingrich said.

“In my work as speaker, working with Bill Clinton … the American people created 11 million new jobs in four years, so I’d like to run as the paycheck candidate against Obama as the food stamp candidate, and I think we frankly can beat him, so I disagree with your conclusion, but your question was fascinating,” he added.

“I think what I’d like to be remembered for in my public life is something I got from my father who spent 27 years in the infantry in the U.S. Army, and that is I’ve tried as a citizen to serve the cause of freedom and the cause of the United States, and I think if I’m remembered as somebody who fought and worked and wrote books and served in office as a citizen trying to protect America and trying to protect freedom, I would feel that my life had been very well spent,” Gingrich added.